I am tempted to bump this down to an 8.5/10, not because there was anything wrong with the episode, but just because Bob's Burgers has set such a high standard for itself that even an episode like this where everything clicks but there's nothing earth-shattering can seem slightly lesser by comparison. But man, this was a stellar episode.
I am a sucker for stories focusing on Tina. She's such a fully-realized character, with a personality that's hard to find elsewhere on television and a clear set of principles and motivations guiding her. Her story focusing on her being a bit too staid and trying to break out of that reputation with the ghost-boy tagging and awkward kissing of Jordan, was great. We know that Tina, despite her delightful weirdness, is the most hidebound of the Belcher children, and setting that rulebound part of her personality against peer pressure and the boys pulling her in another direction was both a great character story and an opportunity to wring laughs out of Tina's conflictedness. Louise's detective work was a nice bonus on that front.
And the B-story with Bob and the port-a-potties was superb in terms of the show's usual restaurant-related hijinx. It's a pretty standard hope-then-obstacle-then-failure-then-secret-success plot that the show likes to use, but it's used so often because it works so well on Bob's Burgers. It was a great opportunity for Linda and Teddy's fun one-scene wonder comedy, and Bob's amusing frustration at anything that messes with his restaurant, especially bureaucracy.
Great episode, that's a back-to-basics take on the Belchers.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2015-10-12T15:36:32Z
I am tempted to bump this down to an 8.5/10, not because there was anything wrong with the episode, but just because Bob's Burgers has set such a high standard for itself that even an episode like this where everything clicks but there's nothing earth-shattering can seem slightly lesser by comparison. But man, this was a stellar episode.
I am a sucker for stories focusing on Tina. She's such a fully-realized character, with a personality that's hard to find elsewhere on television and a clear set of principles and motivations guiding her. Her story focusing on her being a bit too staid and trying to break out of that reputation with the ghost-boy tagging and awkward kissing of Jordan, was great. We know that Tina, despite her delightful weirdness, is the most hidebound of the Belcher children, and setting that rulebound part of her personality against peer pressure and the boys pulling her in another direction was both a great character story and an opportunity to wring laughs out of Tina's conflictedness. Louise's detective work was a nice bonus on that front.
And the B-story with Bob and the port-a-potties was superb in terms of the show's usual restaurant-related hijinx. It's a pretty standard hope-then-obstacle-then-failure-then-secret-success plot that the show likes to use, but it's used so often because it works so well on Bob's Burgers. It was a great opportunity for Linda and Teddy's fun one-scene wonder comedy, and Bob's amusing frustration at anything that messes with his restaurant, especially bureaucracy.
Great episode, that's a back-to-basics take on the Belchers.